Abstract: Solder ball bond pads and wire bond pads may be selectively coated so that the wire bond bond pads have a thicker gold coating than the solder ball bond pads. This may reduce the embrittlement of solder ball joints while providing a sufficient thickness of gold for the wire bonding process. In general, gold coatings are desirable on electrical contact surfaces to prevent oxidation. However, the thickness of gold which is necessary on solder ball bond pads may be less and excessive gold may be disadvantageous. Thus, by masking the solder ball bond pads during the gold coating of the wire bond bond pads, a differential gold thickness may be achieved which is more advantageous for each application.

Abstract: A field effect transistor has a preselected build up resistance with respect to an I-V characteristic of the transistor. In this event, a first GaAs layer is formed on a GaAs substrate. Further, an AlGaAs layer is formed on the first GaAs layer and has a predetermined impurity concentration and a preselected Al composition ratio. Moreover, a gate electrode is placed on the AlGaAs layer to form a schottky contact with the AlGaAs layer. In addition, a second GaAs layers are arranged on both sides of the gate electrode via a recess and are formed on said AlGaAs layer. Finally, source and drain electrodes are formed on the second GaAs layers. With such a structure, the Al composition ratio is determined within a preselected range defined by a relationship between the impurity concentration and the build up resistance.

Abstract: A DRAM array having trench capacitor cells of potentially 4F2 surface area (F being the photolithographic minimum feature width), and a process for fabricating such an array. The array has a cross-point cell layout in which a memory cell is located at the intersection of each bit line and each word line. Each cell in the array has a vertical device such as a transistor, with the source, drain, and channel regions of the transistor being formed from epitaxially grown single crystal silicon. The vertical transistor is formed above the trench capacitor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a field effect transistor having a two-stage recess structure formed upon an InP substrate and showing stable device characteristics and a low contact resistance. The FET is manufactured as follows. Upon an InP substrate 101, a channel layer 103, electron supply layers 104 and 105, an undoped InAlAs Schottky layer 106, an n-type InAlAs first cap layer 107 and an n-type InGaAs second cap layer 108 are formed in succession, following which a second recess opening 111 is formed by etching from the surface of the second cap layer to just the surface of said Schottky layer or further to a level to remove a part of the Schottky layer. A first recess opening 110 is formed by side-etching the second cap layer using an etchant of which etching selectively of InGaAs over InAlAs is 30 or more.

Abstract: A method for forming a cavity (30) to a structure such as a poly fuse (114) with a deep etch process whereby a mask is formed over the structure a first dielectric layer (23) and an etch partially through the first dielectric layer is performed. Next, a second dielectric layer (34) is deposited and a second mask is formed for completing the etch to the structure. Finally, an etch through the second dielectric (34) to an area at or near the structure is performed. A resultant device has non-etched second dielectric material on the sidewalls of the etch cavity 30.

Abstract: In a region on the left hand of FIG. 1 with respect to the gate electrode (107), a first source region (103a), a body-potential drawing region (105) and a second source region (103b) are formed in this order along the vertical direction of this figure. The first and second source regions (103a, 103b) are of n+ type, and the body-potential drawing region (105) is of p+ type. In a thin-film transistor (100), the body-potential drawing region (105) can draw and fix a body potential.

Abstract: An oxide film 26 is formed on a silicon substrate 10. The oxide film 26 is topped with wiring patterns 34. Top and side portions of the wiring patterns 34 are covered with nitride film top walls 36 and nitride film side walls 38. After an interlayer oxide film 40 is deposited, contact holes 42 are formed through self-alignment. Under the nitride film side walls 38, isotropic etching is carried out to retract side edge surfaces 32 of the oxide film 26 from the wall surface. Contacts 44 are then formed inside the contact holes 42 whose bottom diameter is expanded by the isotropic etching above.

Abstract: A plurality of separate semiconductor chips, each having a contact-bearing surface and contacts on such surface, are disposed in an array so that the contact-bearing surfaces face and define a first surface of the array. A flexible, dielectric sheet with terminals thereon overlies the first or contact bearing surface of the semiconductor chips. Elongated leads are disposed between the dielectric element and the semiconductor chips. Each lead has a first end connected to a terminal on the dielectric element, and a second end connected to a contact on a semiconductor chip in the array. All of the leads are formed simultaneously by moving the dielectric element and the array relative to one another to simultaneously displace all of the first ends of the leads relative to all of the second ends. The dielectric element is subdivided after the forming step so as to leave one region of the dielectric element connected to each chip and thereby form individual units each including one chip, or a small number of chips.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (10, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91) includes forming on the upper surface (13) of a substrate (12) a part (18) which has thereon a side surface (19). A plurality of sidewalls (22, 27 and 83-84) are then formed in succession, outwardly from the side surface. A plurality of successive implants (21, 26, 31, 73-74, 87-88, 93-94) are introduced into the substrate, where a respective different subset of the sidewalls is present when each implant is created. The formation of sidewalls and implants may be carried out in an alternating manner, followed by removal of the sidewalls. Alternatively, removal of the sidewalls and formation of the implants may be carried out in an alternating manner. The width of each sidewall may be sublithographic, and the cumulative width of all sidewalls may be sublithographic.

Abstract: In a non-volatile memory cell that has a select transistor and a memory transistor, the substrate trenching that occurs when the gate of the select transistor and the stacked gate of the memory transistor are initially defined is eliminated by forming the gate of the select transistor and the stacked gate of the memory transistor to have substantially the same step height.

Abstract: In a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together, a channel region has a triple structure. Thus, a high electric field is formed in a corner portion between the step side region and the second surface region and in the vicinity thereof. A high electric field is also formed in the first surface region. As a result, the efficiency, with which electrons are injected into a floating gate, is considerably increased.

Abstract: Phase Change Material (“PCM”) are used to reduce the range of temperature excursions in a semiconductor die attached to an interconnect substrate in the flip chip technology. In one embodiment a PCM underfill, which comprises PCM microspheres interspersed within a polymer, is dispensed in the interface area between the semiconductor die and the interconnect substrate. Reduction of the range of temperature excursions in the semiconductor die is achieved since the PCM underfill acts as a cushion to dampen the range of temperature excursions of the semiconductor die. During dissipation of power pulses in the semiconductor die, the PCM underfill absorbs energy from the semiconductor die by changing phase from solid to liquid without a concomitant rise in the temperature of the PCM underfill. Thus, the energy released when power pulses are being dissipated in the semiconductor die does not result in a rise in the temperature of the PCM underfill.

Abstract: In an optical semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate, an active layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, a pnpn-type current blocking layer formed on a side of the active layer, and a carrier recombination layer on the semiconductor substrate on the side of the active layer, a structure of the active layer is different from a structure of the carrier recombination layer.

Abstract: Reduced diffusion of excess mobile specie from a metal oxide ceramic is achieved by tailoring the composition an/or deposition parameters. A barrier layer which reacts with the excess mobile specie is provided below the metal oxide ceramic to prevent or reduce the diffusion of the excess mobile specie through the bottom electrode and into the substrate.

Abstract: A fully recessed device structure and method for low power applications comprises a trenched floating gate and a trenched control gate formed in a single trench etched into a well junction region in a semiconductor substrate to provide a substantially planar topography for low power applications. The trenched floating gate is electrically isolated from the trenched control gate by an inter-gate dielectric layer formed inside the trench and on a top surface of the trenched floating gate. The trenched control gate is formed on a top surface of the inter-gate dielectric layer and preferably, has a top surface which is substantially planar with a top surface of the semiconductor substrate. The fully recessed structure further comprises a buried source region, a buried drain region and a channel region. The buried source region and the buried drain region are formed in the well junction region and are laterally separated by the trench.

Abstract: A layer configuration includes a material layer and a diffusion barrier which blocks diffusing material components. The barrier is disposed in the vicinity of a layer boundary of the material layer and is formed predominantly in grain boundaries of the material layer. A process for producing a diffusion barrier is also provided.

Abstract: A method for controlling striations and CD loss in a plasma etching method is disclosed. During the etching process, the substrate of semiconductor material to be etched is exposed first to plasma under a low power strike and subsequently to a conventional high power strike. CD loss has been found to be reduced by about 400 Angstroms and striations formed in the contact holes are reduced.

Abstract: The crystallinity of non-monocrystalline silicon necks that connect monocrystalline silicon hemispherical grains to an underlying electrode on an integrated circuit substrate is increased. Preferably, the non-monocrystalline silicon necks are crystallized. By crystallizing the non-monocrystalline silicon necks, the necks may be made more resistant to breaking and detaching during subsequent cleaning processes. The non-monocrystalline silicon necks preferably are crystallized by thermal annealing after fabrication of the hemispherical grain silicon.

Abstract: To manufacture integrated semiconductor devices comprising chemoresistive gas microsensors, a semiconductor material body is first formed, on the semiconductor material body are successively formed, reciprocally superimposed, a sacrificial region of metallic material, formed at the same time and on the same level as metallic connection regions for the sensor, a heater element, electrically and physically separated from the sacrificial region and a gas sensitive element, electrically and physically separated from the heater element; openings are formed laterally with respect to the heater element and to the gas sensitive element, which extend as far as the sacrificial region and through which the sacrificial region is removed at the end of the manufacturing process.

Abstract: A container capacitor and method having an internal concentric fin. In one embodiment, the finned capacitor is a stacked container capacitor in a dynamic random access memory circuit. The finned container capacitor provides a high storage capacitance without increasing the size of the cell. The capacitor fabrication requires only two depositions, a spacer etch and a wet etch step in addition to conventional container capacitor fabrication steps.